Naturally Adjusting Sandal

ABSTRACT

A sandal including a sole having a front region and a back region and an interior side and an exterior side, that includes a first opening located in said front region, a second opening in or near said back region at said interior side and a third opening in or near said back region at said exterior side, and a strap, which includes a plurality of sections, having a first end and a second end and wherein said first end is threaded upwardly through said front opening, through said second opening and looped around said back region, and through said third opening, thereby defining a heel region between said second opening and said third opening.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a sandal worn on the foot. More specifically a sandal with a single continuous, naturally adjusting strap.

BACKGROUND

Typically, sandals, while protecting the foot from injuries that may be inflicted by sharp objects lying on the ground, do not provide a wearer with a sense of close contact between foot and earth. As a result, it is difficult for a runner wearing sandals to have a natural-feeling running experience, i.e. an experience comparable to what the runner might experience when running with bare feet.

To better approach a natural-feeling running experience, sandals have been used that employ a single strap that is threaded through holes in the sole to provide a complete encircling of the foot. However, the strap of such sandals is undifferentiated over its length, thereby ill-serving portions of the foot for which the dimensions of the strap are not well matched. In addition, many types of sandals use different straps for different parts of the foot, with buckles that are separately adjustable. This approach makes tightening up the sandal a complicated maneuver.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a sandal adapted for running that uses a single strap with sections that are adapted to the requirements of the runner's foot that are easily adjusted using a single buckle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements.

In one embodiment, the present invention may take the form of a sandal that includes a sole having a front region, a back region, an interior side and an exterior side, including a first opening located in the front region, a second opening in or near the back region at the interior side and a third opening in or near the back region at the exterior side, and a strap, including of a plurality of sections, having a first end and a second end and wherein the first end is threaded upwardly through the front opening, through said second opening and looped around said back region, and through said third opening, thereby defining a heel region between the second opening and the third opening.

In a second embodiment, the present invention may take the form of a strap for a sandal including a front section at a first end of the strap that terminates in a stop-plug, the stop plug serving to retain the first end of the strap when it is inserted through an opening in the sandal, a heel section adjacent to the front section, a final instep section adjacent to the heel section, and a buckle assembly coupled to the final instep section that retains a second end of the strap, wherein the plurality of sections include at least two sections that are made of different materials.

In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following detailed descriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a sandal, according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom isometric view of the sandal of claim 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the strap of the sandal of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top isometric view of the sandal of FIG. 1, in an initial stage of being laced.

FIG. 5 is a top isometric view of the sandal of FIG. 1 in a first intermediate stage of being laced.

FIG. 6 is a top isometric view of the sandal of FIG. 1 in a second intermediate stage of being laced.

FIG. 7 is a top isometric view of the sandal of FIG. 1 in a final stage of being laced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will be more completely understood through the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the attached drawings. Detailed embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the invention in virtually any appropriately detailed embodiment.

It may be appreciated by one skilled in the art, that while a principal object of the subject invention is a sandal that is suited for running, the approach described herein is also suited for walking and other uses. Nothing disclosed herein is intended to limit the use of the sandal to running or any other particular use.

As used herein the following terms have the meanings given below:

The term user refers to a human that is wearing a sandal of the present invention. In some cases the term user refers to a person that is putting on or adjusting a sandal; in this case the user does not necessarily have to be the same person that is wearing the sandal. For example, a parent may adjust a child's sandal.

The “interior” side of a foot, a shoe, a sandal, or a sole of a shoe or sandal, is the side that is closer to the other foot when a wearer is standing with both feet on the ground and with legs uncrossed. The exterior side is the side further from the other foot for a wearer in the same stance.

The sole of a shoe or sandal has an underside or bottom that makes contact with the ground and a topside or top that is in contact with a user's foot.

The terms strap, or lace, refers to a length of material that secures a foot in position on top of the sole of a sandal.

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a preferred embodiment of a running sandal 10. Running sandal 10 includes a sole 12 that has a front where a user's toes rest and a back where a user's heel rests, and an interior side and an exterior side. Running sandal 10 further includes a strap 14, a buckle assembly 16 and a strap coupler loop 18. Strap 14 is formed of a plurality of sections, including a toe section 32 and a heel section 40. Strap 14 is described in further detail hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 3. Sole 12 has three openings through which strap 14 passes, a front opening 60 near the front of the sandal, an exterior opening 62 towards the back exterior of the sandal and an interior opening 64 towards the back interior of the sandal.

FIG. 2 is a bottom isometric view of running sandal 10. Depicted in FIG. 2 are portions of strap 14 as they pass through opening 62 and 64, and a head or termination of strap 14 in the form of a stop-plug 30, connected to toe section 32, which secures one end of strap 14 to the underside of sole 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, strap 14 includes a head at one end of strap 14 in the form of stop-plug 30, a toe section 32, a first joint 34, a front instep section 36, heel section 40, buffered between two joints 38, a final instep section 42, and a final tab 44 at the other end of strap 14. A variable length indicator 48 is shown in both front instep section 36 and final instep section 42 to indicate that these sections are typically longer than depicted in FIG. 3.

A buckle assembly 16 attaches, or couples, to strap 14 via a material loop 50 that encircles strap 14 in front instep section 36. Buckle assembly 16 further includes a buckle 52. In a preferred embodiment, final tab 44 and a portion of final instep section 42 are inserted through buckle 52. Buckle 52 serves to retain one end of strap 14 while the other end is retained by stop-plug 30. In other embodiments, buckle 52 may be a different type of mechanism that secures one end of strap 14 such as inter alia a clasp or frame-and-prong.

In a preferred embodiment, buckle assembly 16 may slide along final instep section 42 to relieve pressure or tension that results from a foot pressing against final instep section 42. The ease with which buckle assembly 16 slides can be regulated through the choice of material used for final instep section 42 and the tightness of material loop 50 around final instep section 42.

Thus, in a preferred embodiment, strap 14 includes 4 interconnected sections, i.e. (1) toe section 32, (2) front instep section 36, (3) heel section 40, and (4) final instep section 42. It may be appreciated by one skilled in the art that in different embodiments strap 14 may include more or less sections without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In particular, toe section 32 and front instep section 36 may be combined into a single front section.

It may further be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the length of strap 14 is based on the size of sandal 10. Further, the lengths of individual sections of strap 14 are selected so as to position them correctly relative to the foot of a user. Further, sandal 10 may be made in various sizes. Table 1, below, indicates a preferred embodiment for the length of front instep section 36, heel section 40 and final instep section 42 for three sizes of sandals: small, medium, and large.

TABLE 1 Section Lengths for Various Sizes of Sandal Section Length (in inches) Sandal Front Instep Elastic Heel Final Instep Size 36 40 42 Small 10 2¾ 13½ Medium 10¼ 3 14 Large 10¾ 3¼ 14½

In a preferred embodiment, toe section 32, front instep section 36 and final instep section 42 are made of woven leather, heel section 40 is made of elasticized leather, and stop plug 30 is made of rubber. Sole 14 may be made of rubber, or rubber with a suede or leather insole. The term elasticized leather refers to a material in which leather is wrapped around elastic. It may also be referred to generically as covered elastic. In other embodiments, heel section 40 may be constructed of elasticized nylon or rubber strapping, similar to the material used in rubber bands. In other embodiments, any or all of toe section 32, front instep section 36 and final instep section 42 may be made of nylon strap or hemp strap. It may be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the material from which each section of strap 14 is constructed may be freely and independently chosen based on criteria such as utility, comfort, and aesthetics without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. This multi-segment approach is a unique aspect of the design of strap 14 and solves a variety of problems associated with prior art sandals. Notwithstanding the above, a general object of various embodiments of the subject invention is for heel section 40 to be more flexible than other sections of strap 14 to cope with the more several stress placed on this section during running or walking.

In a preferred embodiment, consecutive segments are woven together and protected with a joint. In other embodiments, some sections may be attached to a joint or connected in other ways. For example, sections may be glued or stapled.

Referring to FIG. 4, to assemble sandal 10, strap 14 is threaded through front opening 60 and is thus secured in front by stop-plug 30. Strap 14 is extended toward the exterior side of sole 12, and is threaded downward through slot 62, is brought up over the exterior side of sole 12 and threaded through the opening between strap 14 as it extends from front opening 60 to exterior opening 62, and sole 12.

Referring to FIG. 5, strap 14 is looped elliptically along the contour of the heel of sandal 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, a similar threading operation is performed with respect to interior opening 64 as was performed with respect to exterior opening 62. Namely, strap 14 is extended toward the interior side of sole 12, is threaded downward through slot 64, is brought up over the exterior side of sole 12 and threaded through the opening between strap 14 as it extends from front opening 60 to interior opening 64, and sole 12.

Referring to FIG. 7, final tab 44 is threaded through buckle 52 and pulled by a user to a desired degree of tightness. At any time, the user can tighten the degree to which strap 14 tightens around his/her foot by pulling final tab 44 or final instep section 42. The reverse operation serves to relax strap 14 around the user's foot and also serves to remove strap 14 entirely from sole 12.

Skilled persons will now appreciate many advantages of the preferred embodiment over prior art sandals. First, buckle assembly 16 can slide on strap 14, so that this junction can find a comfortable place on the user's instep. The human instep is notoriously varied in shape, making it difficult to fit footwear with precision. The preferred embodiment provides enough variation so that a user can configure a good instep fit. Moreover, the buckle provides a single, easy to use adjustment for an overall strap tightening, thereby facilitating this step.

Also, heel portion 40, which in one preferred embodiment is made of elasticized leather, stretches to accommodate the natural variation in the foot's size and shape during running. Without this accommodation, the strap 14 would tend to be pulled during the foot's motion and changing shape during running, eventually causing said heel portion 40 to loosen from the wearer's heel and potentially slip off. Heel portion 40 permits the strap to vary in length during running, thereby accommodating the foot's changing shape, without loosening over time, but consistently shrinking back to be held in place on the wearer's heel, even during running.

In addition, toe section 32 can bend onto itself transversely, so that it does not cause discomfort between the toes. Instep sections 36 and 42 are made of a strong material, which in a preferred embodiment is stiff in comparison to the toe section material 32. This avoids any transverse folding, which would be unpleasant and might force a runner to stop, in order to adjust his strap.

The fact that strap 14 can be withdrawn from the sole 12, facilitates the replacement of the strap 14, with alternative strap forms, such as a leather strap, a rope strap, or a strap made of nylon material, but having different dimensions. Also, in one preferred system of materials, different colored leather and rope laces are provided. Accordingly, with a single sole, a user may choose the appearance he wants to present to others, from laid-back rope strap sandal, to the high tech nylon multi-part strap described above, by simply removing one pair of laces and installing another.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those possessed of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.

In reading the above description, persons skilled in the art will realize that there are many apparent variations that can be applied to the methods and systems described. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sandal comprising: a) a sole having a front region and a back region and an interior side and an exterior side, comprising a first opening located in said front region, a second opening in or near said back region at said interior side and a third opening in or near said back region at said exterior side; and b) a strap, comprised of a plurality of sections, having a first end and a second end and wherein said first end is threaded upwardly through said front opening, through said second opening and looped around said back region, and through said third opening, thereby defining a heel region between said second opening and said third opening.
 2. The sandal of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sections include at least two sections that are made of different materials.
 3. The sandal of claim 2, wherein said sandal includes a heel section that fits around a heel of a user of the sandal and is made of an elastic material.
 4. The sandal of claim 3, wherein the elastic material is elasticized leather.
 5. The sandal of claim 3, wherein at least one of the sections other than the heel section is made of a nylon material.
 6. The sandal of claim 1, wherein said second end terminates in a stop-plug at the bottom of said front opening that retains the strap at the second end.
 7. The sandal of claim 1, further comprising: c) a buckle assembly including a buckle and a material loop, connected to said buckle, that is slidingly coupled to the strap, whereby the buckle assembly slides along the strap in response to pressure on the strap.
 8. A strap for a sandal, comprising: a) a front section at a first end of the strap that terminates in a stop-plug, said stop plug serving to retain the first end of the strap when it is inserted through an opening in the sandal; b) a heel section adjacent to the front section; c) a final instep section adjacent to the heel section; and d) a buckle assembly coupled to the final instep section that retains a second end of the strap; wherein said plurality of sections include at least two sections that are made of different materials.
 9. The strap of claim 8, wherein the heel section is made of an elastic material.
 10. The strap of claim 9, wherein the elastic material is elasticized leather.
 11. The strap of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sections other than the heel section is made of a nylon material.
 12. The strap of claim 8, wherein said buckle assembly includes a buckle and a material loop, connected to said buckle, that is slidingly coupled to the strap, whereby the buckle assembly slides along the strap in response to pressure on the strap.
 13. The strap of claim 8, wherein the front section comprises a toe section that terminates in the stop-plug and a front instep section adjacent to the toe section on one side and to the heel section on the other side. 